Suboxone is a treatment administered to patients who are recovering from opiate addictions. Suboxone is a combination of both naloxone and buprenorphine. Buprenorphine itself is an opioid, while naloxone is a narcotic medication designed to reverse the effects of opiate use. Methadone is a similar treatment used to help patients with long term recovery from opiate abuse. In contrast, methadone is used more popularly for pain management associated with addiction recovery.Because both medications are considered to be narcotics, there are many risks involved with taking either of them. Suboxone has been found to be much more difficult to abuse than methadone; therefore, patients are often prescribed to take it at home. However, this does not ultimately mean that suboxone is a safe solution to addiction and/or withdrawal symptoms.

Trading in One Addiction for Another

While suboxone might seem like a catch-all solution for those recovering from opiate abuse, its long-term effectiveness is starting to raise suspicions. Suboxone is particularly good at blocking the effects of opiate use as well as withdrawal symptoms, but more patients are finding that its use can be detrimental in the long run.

The risk of becoming addicted to Suboxone is extremely high, and once this happens, the patient winds up either adding another addiction on to the original he/she suffered from, or trading in the original addiction for a new one altogether. The risks for methadone are similar due to it being a narcotic in nature as well.

Health Risks of Suboxone Treatment

Of course, one of the biggest risks of using Suboxone in addiction recovery is addiction to the medication itself, but there is an entire slew of other health problems that it can pose.

Any opiate can easily cause respiratory suppression, slowed response time, and drowsiness. The heavier the dosage or addiction to suboxone, the higher the risk is for overdose and even death. When taken in conjunction with drugs that have similar effects, such as antidepressants, alcohol, antihistamines, tranquilizers, and sedatives, the risk for overdose and death is also high.

Those that are using Suboxone to treat their opiate addictions are susceptible developing hepatitis, a condition that is marked by inflammation of the liver. Common symptoms of hepatitis are nausea, stomach upset, bowel movements that are light in color, dark urine, and jaundice.

It’s also possible that some patients could develop allergic reactions to either of the ingredients in Suboxone, Naloxone or buprenorphine. An allergic reaction is often marked by breathing difficulties, hives, and swelling of the face. If an allergic reaction to Suboxone treatment goes untreated, it can easily lead to anaphylactic shock. This reaction in particular can be life-threatening.

Women are even more at risk for health complications when taking suboxone if they are pregnant at the time of usage. Not only could it cause the child to experience withdrawal symptoms from the drug once he/she is born, but it can contaminate breast milk; a risk that can ultimately cause harm to the child.

Before choosing to go with either of these treatments for help in addiction recovery, it’s always a good idea to consider and try more conservative treatment options first. Treating an opiate addiction is a delicate matter, and a patient should not end treatment with another addiction in addition to the one that he/she started with. Consider speaking with your doctor about options that are right for your particular situation.